Apple announces March 7 event, likely iPad 3 unveiling

It's official: Apple is holding a special event on March 7 in San Francisco …

Apple has begun to send out invitations for a special media event on Wednesday, March 7 at 10am PST. The event will take place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, where both the original iPad and iPad 2 were announced in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The company did not specify what this year's event will be about, but given the invitation pictured above, it's a near given that Apple will unveil the next-generation iPad.

The date comes as no surprise—rumors have been swirling for some time now that Apple planned for the first week of March for an iPad 3 announcement. As for what to expect, the rumor mill has been all over the map, pointing to upgraded cameras, a possible quad-core processor, 4G/LTE support, and of course, a high-resolution "retina" class display like that of the iPhone 4 and 4S.

With the event officially one week and one day out, Apple-watchers now have eight days to speculate. What are you hoping to see on March 7 from Apple? As always, you'll be able to follow our coverage of the announcements here on Infinite Loop, so be sure to check back when March 7 rolls around.

HA! I will believe it when I see it! The LAST anticipated announcement pissed off a bunch of people .... look everybody! We don't have a NEW device ... just a NEW-ER device and we will cleverly disguise the boring with an "S" at the end of it.

This is pretty good timing. I'm looking at picking up a tablet very soon-ish and was looking at refurb'd iPad 2s the other day (yes, I knew iPad 3 was "coming soon", I just didn't know how soon...I'm not really in the "wait until the next new thing comes out" crowd because it always seems like you're perpetually waiting).

If they announce this on March 7th and it's actually available for sale then or close to then, I'll likely buy one.

It says "We have something you really have to see. And touch. The first part would lead me to believe it has a retina display but the "And touch" would lead me to believe no home button. Because with no home button you will have to touch it.

Yah, if I were really serious about this stuff that's what I would say.

ipad is way more expensive (upfront anyway) than a phone--harder to justify getting a new one every couple years...but converting at least some of the "disposable" mindset from cell phones to (tablet) computers was a major marketing accomplishment!

ipad is way more expensive (upfront anyway) than a phone--harder to justify getting a new one every couple years...but converting at least some of the "disposable" mindset from cell phones to (tablet) computers was a major marketing accomplishment!

It's by no means a new mindset, many people would upgrade their computers every year or two... all the time on forums you'll see people talking about how much they need an upgrade to the as-yet-unreleased high end part when they have the current high end part!

This is pretty good timing. I'm looking at picking up a tablet very soon-ish and was looking at refurb'd iPad 2s the other day (yes, I knew iPad 3 was "coming soon", I just didn't know how soon...I'm not really in the "wait until the next new thing comes out" crowd because it always seems like you're perpetually waiting).

If they announce this on March 7th and it's actually available for sale then or close to then, I'll likely buy one.

Yay! Sold my iPad 2 last week and have been counting the days until the next one comes out.

Bought the iPad, smart cover and screen protector for ~ $650. Sold them 12 months later for $525. I basically rented an iPad 2 for $10 per month for a year. Not a bad deal really. Say what you will about apple products, but the secondary market for them alone makes them much more compelling purchase than other makes for me.

I've written an Automator script to reload the Apple Store every fifteen seconds from now 'till March 8th so I can be first in line.

Seriously, assuming that pic is a real screen and not a Photoshop mockup it looks pretty tempting. I just glanced at my iPad2 and it suddenly looks pixelated as an '80s video console. I'll buy one if the screen is real with a GPU that can can handle the extra pixels, and if there's significantly more RAM so swiping between apps gets smoother, and Siri is included.

People will not be buying an Asus Memo 370T because, a - it's too small for some people's usages, b - it's running ICS, so some Android apps won't work (minor quip honestly), c - it's not running iOS (this is the reason the vast majority will not be buying it)

Has it gotten an actual release date yet? Battery life from a production model?

Setting the aside the likely introduction of a Retina-quality display next week.... Reasons why somebody might pay $499 for an iPad

Beautiful design.Perfect OS and hardware integration.iMessageiCloudiBooksScreenshare with an AppleTViTunes integration

... and about 140,000 apps.

Design? It is a rectangle with round corners, which most tablets are.OS and hardware integration? All tablets integrate all of the hardware features in the OS.iMessage only works with other people with iOS devices. I can use a universal IM app to contact everyone through MSN, Yahoo, Google Talk, etc.iCloud - Android apps sync to the cloud for free. Apple charges me for it.iBooks - Android has the same thing.Screenshare with an AppleTV - Does me no good without an Apple TV. I do have HDMI out for free on my Android tablet where as the iPad 2 requires a $35 cable.iTunes integration - I loathe iTunes. It is the worst part of my iPhone experience.

There isn't a single killer app I have on my iPhone that I haven't found an equivalent for on my Xoom.

People will not be buying an Asus Memo 370T because, a - it's too small for some people's usages, b - it's running ICS, so some Android apps won't work (minor quip honestly), c - it's not running iOS (this is the reason the vast majority will not be buying it)

Has it gotten an actual release date yet? Battery life from a production model?

Size is a very important distinction. Some people prefer a 7" tablet they can put in a pocket. I prefer having a big screen. But we shouldn't compare prices on 7" tablets to 10" tablets and consider it a fair comparison.